Do you ever imagine the ideal dinner party? One that includes a guest list of the best people? I do, and I always choose a selection of witty, smart and gorgeous people who would drink the bar dry and keep everyone entertained until the sun came up. I confess, I don’t spend so much time on the menu, or even the seating plan, I save all my enthusiasm for planning the outfits my guests would wear.
Liz Taylor, it wouldn’t be a party without her. She’ll dominate the dinner table and every other woman will fade into the wallpaper, but hey, I don’t mind ‘cause Liz looks like a whole lotta fun to me. She will wear Rhonda’s Revenge in sizzling scarlet. It’s a classic 1950s pencil dress of the style Liz wore, so we know she’ll look great. I hope she’ll also approve of the gentle stretch and boned support that we’ve added to ensure a fantastic fit.
Here’s Peggy Lee. And she’s turned up with a band in tow? We’ll never fit that bass fiddle in the kitchen but what they hell, we’ll have to manage. I reckon she’s wearing Dee Dee in this fantastic polka dot print. A full circle skirt with a rockabilly petticoat beneath for some series swirling and twirling around that microphone.
I love a good old gossip with my pals, and no party would be perfect without someone quick and smart. A creative sort with opinions and a lot of wit – I know, let’s invite Dorothy Parker! She likes a drink and has a caustic one-liner available for any occasion. She’s probably dropped in straight from her desk at The New Yorker, so she’s wearing Tallulah in lace and blue denim, a bodycon pencil dress that looks as good in the office as it does holding a glass of Scotch.
All parties need someone up for a debate, the political type who can hold their own in a friendly argument. At my dream dinner party, this would be Simone de Beauvoir, author of the book that kick started the second wave of feminism, The Second Sex, Simone would supply the politics and (I hope) some moody wine-soaked vibes. She’ll be wearing Born to Lose, Live to Win, the t-shirt of choice for all strong, independent women. Designed here at British Retro, it’s an ethical and visually impressive statement for everyone, not just existentialist philosophers.
Tomorrow there will be half-moons of lipstick to scrub from the glasses, there may be discarded stilettos to return and a few boxes of empty bottles to take to the recycling. My head aches, but we had fun, eh? And those glamorous dresses will be hung up ready to play another day.
